In His Own Intrest
by Sephielya J. Maxwell
Summary: A Kabuto centric story following a typical tiring day on what Kabuto endures in Otogakure. An insight of sorts on his own, as Orochimaru himself put it, twisted personality.


A/N: Insight on my part. Just had to flesh out some more things and play around again. And yes, Henada-kun, I SO did steal that snake's name from you.

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Kabuto walked down the halls of the holding cells slowly, taking his time to judge the occupants carefully. Most of them had wounds or abrasions on them in one way or another, either from each other or what had been caused in attaining them. All of them were fresh for testing, training, or generally using for one thing or another. Some of them cowered from the silver-haired ninja, while others screamed obscenities, trying to reach him through the bars that held them at bay. He passed them all without a second glance, stopping at one room in particular. He sighed as he adjusted his glasses, and then placed his hands together in a seal.

"Release!" He commanded, and the fuda at the door burnt to a cinder. His nose wrinkled at the smell as he stepped into the cell, but he was used to the stench of death. The young man lifted his head to stare into the genin's eyes with his own dark eyes. His skin was a pale white—almost blue. He leaned forward, the rags of clothing left to him creating a light swish. He smiled, light brown hair almost covering his face as he reached towards the medic. Kabuto took the arm at the wrist, turning it over and feeling near his elbow. When he had the vein, he pulled the syringe from his pouch, biting the cap off and spitting it aside. Squirting the excess out, he plunged it into the cold flesh. The man didn't cringe at all, merely smiled as the maroon colored liquid emptied into the subject's veins smoothly. Tossing the emptied syringe to the ground, he brought a vial around from behind his back. The young man grabbed his wrists, pulling the top off with his teeth and drinking the sweet-smelling blue-tinted liquid. The medic wrinkled his nose again, at being touched by those clammy hands. He could handle dead bodies all day, fixing them up and sealing them away into his scrolls for good use later, but something about being touched by this half-living man disgusted him. Pulling the glass back, he turned his back to the man. The dry and rough voice followed him as he placed the new fuda on the door.

"Thank you, Kabuto-sensei."

Doctor? He had _done _this to the man. A jutsu gone wrong had turned the man's wounded flesh into this deteriorating, unfeeling, and foul-smelling mess. Just another victim of getting stronger…and why was he alive? The damage was nonrepairable, and the medicine only kept the skin deteriorating to a minimum. He was alive because Orochimaru-sama saw a use in him, and so, Kabuto did as well. He used everything in his knowledge of the human body—which was almost unrivaled—as well as his skill of healing and medicines, to keep the man alive. In his permanent state of half-life, one might expect the man to hate his captors, loath and despise them. Yet day after day the unfortunate waited anxiously for his bitter medicine, and the deadly medic that brought it.

Never once had Kabuto falsely told the man, 'I will cure you'. Never did he apologize. Yet he was greeted in the dim light by those dry cracked lips, pulled into a tight smile that gave a glimpse of slightly yellowed teeth. That dry and gravely voice which grated on his ears that thanked him. Nothing had been done against this man's will. It was he who had fallen for Orochimaru's honeyed words and come seeking power like so many others. Out of the twenty of the half-living man's companions, only he was left. Orochimaru was not happy with this—not happy that Kabuto had failed to keep them alive. The jutsu was a curse gone wrong, a failed mixture of a seal and a genjutsu. Kabuto had cast the jutsu, but being unperfected, he must have missed a seal. Genjutsu was not his high point anyway—it was Orochimaru's.

A hot shower washed away the day's dirt and grime. He scrubbed until the feel of those clammy hands was off of him, and he no longer smelled of ink, formaldehyde, and the musty underground tunnels that he lived in. Hot water was scarce in Otogakure no Sato, so he has to keep it short. If he used all of the hot water, he'd never hear the end of it from his master. The medic rubbed his silver hair with a towel as he headed to bed, falling onto the firm mattress and pulling the sheet lazily over himself.

He awoke not so long later by the sound of a horrid scream. Kabuto sat upright like a bolt, a kunai in one hand and his other hand reaching for his glasses. Listening carefully to the screams that followed it, diving many echoes from the origin, and following the path of the sound, he pin pointed the location: the cells. With a sigh he placed his kunai back under his pillow as he replaced the sheets. Juna—that damned half-dead man… He'd stop in a moment…any moment now… at –_any-_ time…

Only it didn't stop. The screams became loud and painful groans, the pauses between them becoming shorter. Shoving the pillow over his head, Kabuto tried to ignore it. He really didn't want to wake up for this… The medicine should still be working, so why was he causing such a ruckus? The last time he'd screamed so badly was the first night of the experiment, when he wasn't used to the pain. Gritting his teeth, he tried to think of other things.

Something cold and smooth touched his ankle, and the medic froze. It moved slowly upwards under the sheets, keeping contact with his bare skin and sending a chill down along his spine. With a sigh of annoyance, he pushed the snake with his knee, but it only slithered up on his thigh and onto his back. Turning onto his side, he found the snake's nose not an inch from his own. "Tell Orochimaru-sama he'll stop soon." He said drearily, and the snake hissed. Frowning, he pushed it gently back. "I'm sleeping, Oto-kun." The youth yawned, and then winced as he was bitten on the hand, then the shoulder in quick succession. "Ita! Damn it!" He shoved hard and the snake went tumbling to the floor, where it coiled quickly and hissed again. Sitting up, the genin glared at the fuzzy mass of green he made out in the dark. "Tell Orochimaru-sama to go—" He stopped as the door opened, flooding the room with torchlight from beyond it and silhouetting the slender figure in the doorway.

"Tell me –_what-_, Kabuto?" The Sannin hissed, and the snake turned and headed for the door, slithering around his master's feet like a dog.

"I…" The medic swallowed, rather undignified at the moment. Orochimaru was dressed in a plain gray kimono at the moment, his long black hair astray and his eyes tired.

"Get up –_now- _and take -_care_- of that wretched creature in the cells so that I and the rest of the village can get some sleep!" Orochimaru shouted, and even his voice was tired. Kabuto placed his glasses atop his nose and slipped his long legs over the side of the bed, closing his eyes to rub his sinuses as he spoke,

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama. Just let me get dressed—Ah—ah!" His sentence was cut off by his master's long steel fingers gripping the back of his neck and pulling him to his feet, giving him a shove towards the door. His bare feel slapped the stone floor as he stumbled ungracefully not to fall flat on his face, regaining his balance and turning to face the angry Sannin. Golden eyes narrowed to thin slits as Orochimaru glared, the snake around his shoulders giving a proud hiss,

"-_N-o-w-_." The snake ninja said slowly, his voice low. Kabuto swallowed, turning to a shelf in his room and searching through the vials quickly. Finding the one he was looking for, he held it up.

"I'm ready, Orochimaru-sama." He said firmly. And so they went together to the cells, and Kabuto kept any expression from his face as they passed the few ninjas still awake. All of them had a snicker or a smirk for the boxer-clad medic, his hair flowing about his shoulders. It didn't matter—they were all nothing but pawns anyway. Most of them would not last a year here. Tayuya however saw him as well, and her smirk only made him glad Sakon and Ukon were not awake as well, or at least not present. The air turned colder as they reached the cells, and the stone floor was beginning to make his feet numb. He received a shove on his shoulder when they reached the beginning of the cells, and he managed to keep fro stumbling this time.

Juna's groans abruptly stopped when Kabuto came into view, dark and dull eyes widening when they beheld the youth's state of dress. As Kabuto opened the door, the man crawled forward on his knees, hands reaching out. "Give me the medicine again, Kabuto-sensei… it hurts so badly…" His voice was a horse whine, and Kabuto sighed. The bandages wrapping most of the man's body were covered in blood and falling off, revealing raw red skin underneath, and deep cracks along the skin that was smooth. "I'm sorry, Kabuto-sensei, please…please hurry..!" He sat down and leaned against the wall as if dizzy, breathing strained as sweat slid down his face to sting the cuts on his skin. The medic's eyes were steel as he surveyed the situation, assessing the damage and coming to the same conclusion that his master had.

Kneeling next to the more-than-half dead man, Kabuto removed the stopper from the vial and lifted it to the man's lips. Juna drank most of it, but he coughed up a little as well. It didn't matter. Replacing the stopper, Kabuto made to leave but a wet hand on his wrist stopped him. "Thank…you…" Juna breathed, a smile gracing his bleeding lips. His fading eyes roamed over the other ninja's bared skin slowly, and Kabuto thought back on the once companion.

Time spent training and talking together, glances, words, gestures, missions. This was no weak Oto-gennin, but a Jounin—or had been. He had been a worthwhile companion, one who held his own and took down more than his share of enemies. Though he had made one fateful mistake. Juna had spent one to many times closer to the medic than he should have, and the moment Kabuto had responded to one little comment favorably, he had been given the order to try the jutsu on the man. Of –_course- _the jutsu wasn't ready! It only had the first three seals determined, and the curse was going to take many more lives before it was done. Still, at this level, he really had thought that he might be able to preserve a little of Otogakure's strength by saving this man's life. While lost in thought, the medic was shocked to feel the dry, cracked, and bleeding lips he had been unconsciously starring at against his own. With a grunt of disgust, he sat back quickly, rubbing at his lips with the back of his hand angrily.

He was going to yell at him for it, but Juna had already fallen to the side, and was now lying on his back. A smile was on his unrecognizable face as he whispered, "Na…Kabuto-sensei…I can't seem to open my eyes…" He said quietly.

"It's the medicine. Sleep it off." Kabuto said smoothly. He didn't know how to tell him that his eyes were open, and dull.

"It's working… it doesn't hurt…" Juna rambled, that irritating smile on his decaying face that had once been a healthy, smooth peach. "Tha…nk…ou…Ka…"

The genin's face held what could have been a scowl as he returned to Orochimaru's side, but the Sannin thought it looked like a pout.

"Well?" He hissed.

"Juna was a failure. He was a mistake, and too weak to overcome he effects of the botched jutsu. Beyond repair."

"I see." A chuckle rebounded off the hallow walls.

"He could have lived a week longer. We could have tried again. It was a waste—"

"Kabuto,' Orochimaru intervened sharply, "Are you presuming to question me? Or are you sore over something else?"

"Neither, Orochimaru-sama… I was merely giving you my report."

"Then wipe that look off your face." Another hiss, and a glare that might freeze the greatest of men. Kabuto merely did as asked, clearing his expression. Orochimaru took his chin in his long slender white fingers, gripping it firmly. "Get that filth off of your face as well." He said, letting go with a flick of his wrist that turned Kabuto's face. He began to walk away, his voice stern as he spoke from ahead, "Remember well Juna, and what happens to pawns who overstep their bounds by presuming to touch what's not theirs." He said, and Kabuto sighed. He knew all too well.

It was another shower for the genin, but this time it was a cold one all the way through. It didn't help rid him of the chill on his lips and the one on his chin. He'd been touched by two creatures of death tonight, and neither of them favorably. But one single thing kept running through his mind that night, above the discomfort and humiliation he'd been put through: The jutsu.

Juna hadn't lasted as long as he had thought. His medicines were perfect, so he really should have gone longer before his body began to override it. Something in the jutsu… Ah-ha! He smiled as he stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. Tying back his damp hair, he walked to his desk and put his glasses on. Picking up a pen, he dipped it in ink and began to write on an empty scroll so quickly that the ink blotched in a few small places. Yes! If he changed this seal here, and stressed more on the curse of the scroll…It was perfect! He smiled slowly, dark eyes narrow. /_Juna, you worthless little fool, you actually helped_/ The deterioration took hold sooner because the curse was that much stronger than the seals.

Tomorrow he would regain his master's favor with the perfected jutsu. His former companion had been nothing but a stepping stone—useful or not. It simply meant that he now knew what effect the jutsu would have on someone of such skill instead of some weak dime a dozen genin. To think, Orochimaru thought that he had been teaching Kabutoa lesson, and here he was going to be able to play the part of the obedient little servant who had figured it out over guilt—or fear of it. He almost wished, for all the trouble it caused, that he –_had-_ done something with the foolish Jounin. But Orochimaru would never know that it was simply his own desire to see the jutsu he had been placed with designing come to completion… After all, he could never stay in Otogakure if his own interests were not met, one way or another.


End file.
